


Top Secret

by tommyandthejons



Category: Crooked Media RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-22 08:38:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15577983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tommyandthejons/pseuds/tommyandthejons
Summary: It wasn't until Tommy accidentally got a glimpse of Dan’s FBI file that he questioned how well he really knew Dan, which was the first step to realizing how well he wanted to know him.





	Top Secret

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to [Must Endorse](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoodJanet/pseuds/Must%20Endorse) for the [prompt](https://tommyandthejons.tumblr.com/post/175762207492/ship-tommydan-title-top-secret) that inspired this fic!

Tommy was picking at a not terribly fresh salad he'd gotten in the mess as Favs went on about something— Tommy wasn’t entirely sure what, he’d been distracted when Favs started talking, but so far he’d managed to get by with an inscrutable look and occasionally agreeing.

Jon had stopped and was looking at him questioningly, but this time the nod didn’t work and Tommy had been too lost in his own mind and couldn’t think of how to dissemble, so he said what he was thinking about instead.

“Have you ever seen Dan’s FBI file?” he asked. 

Favs shook his head, looking confused at the non sequitur. 

“You wouldn’t believe how fucking thick it is,” Tommy said. It had been on his mind since he’d seen the file the other day, Dan’s name just visible, at the bottom of a stack of files with familiar names, in one of the conference rooms. Someone must have left them from the last meeting. Dan’s was bulging, and probably should have been split into two files, but before Tommy could even consider giving into temptation and looking inside to see what on Earth Dan had done worthy of having a file that thick, someone he didn’t recognize ran back in the room and grabbed the stack of files.

Jon was staring at him, mouth slightly open, and Tommy was deeply tempted to throw one of the mediocre cherry tomatoes at him and see if he could make it, but before he could, Jon said, “I feel like that kind of thing is more Lovett’s department than mine.”

Tommy felt himself flush at the implications and then, to change the subject, he went ahead and threw the tomato at Jon, though it missed his face and hit him in the chest instead.

“Hey!” Favs exclaimed, as he failed to dodge it. “I have to meet with Obama today!”

“Uh, don’t get my shirt dirty, dude, I have to meet with Obama,” Tommy mimicked Jon in a low mumbly voice, glad when Jon punched his arm lightly and went back to talking about whatever he’d been talking about before, even if he did have to force himself to focus instead of wondering what could have been in Dan’s file.

—

No matter what Tommy tried, he couldn’t stop thinking about the FBI file. It was a definite improvement over what he normally obsessed over— what he’d said to which reporter that could have been misunderstood or misinterpreted, or worse, now that he was the national security spokesman, things about, well, national security— terrorists targeting infrastructure, bridges collapsing, the electrical grid being sabotaged— things he’d barely even considered as possibilities before had started to keep him up at night. Still, with all of those possibilities, the thought of Dan’s file was enough to distract him from them, and get lost considering just why it was so thick. It was almost a relief.

Had Dan been involved in some sort of protests? Tommy tried to imagine Dan shouting and waving a sign or resisting police trying to break up a protest. It didn’t quite fit, though he had seen Dan tired, frustrated, and angry often enough— it was hard not to, when you lived in each other’s pockets the way they all did to some degree. Had Dan been involved in some sort of federal crime? Tommy couldn’t see him breaking the law without good reason— before seeing the file, if he’d had to come up with one word to describe Dan it would have been steady. Though maybe steady would be a good characteristic to have if you were going to break the law. Still, Tommy couldn’t help thinking if Dan had broken the law, he would have managed to get away with it and not ended up with it attached to his name. Maybe Dan had worn a wire and helped uncover a corrupt politician— Dan had been in politics long enough that it was possible he could have gotten accidentally wrapped up in something like that, and the idea of Dan as a heroic whistleblower was appealing to Tommy in ways he didn't want to think about too closely. From there, it wasn’t very far to imagining Dan as a spy, even though it was patently ridiculous— no one would let a spy work in the White House, let alone that closely with the president, no matter who he was spying for. He indulged himself with the thought for a moment anyway, letting out a bark of laughter when he imagined Dan saying, “Pfeiffer, Dan Pfeiffer,” but luckily Lovett had just said something that must have been funny when that happened because instead of getting grilled, Lovett preened and took the laughter as well deserved praise.

The worst thing was that after Favs' comment, he’d started to catch himself staring at Dan and wondering about more than just Dan’s unknown past. Dan was separated, sure, but the last thing he needed was Tommy throwing himself at him. Plus Tommy wasn’t even sure he wanted to throw himself— it could just be a curiosity thing and where would that leave them— or if, supposing he did, that Dan would be interested in catching him.

No, the best solution was to find out whatever was in Dan’s past so that he’d know and he could put this whole thing to rest before Dan caught him staring anymore, especially since Tommy had started to notice him watching Tommy back.

—

“Hey, Alicia,” Tommy said, passing her a cup of coffee, his excuse for dropping in, which she accepted with a confused but grateful look. “Out of all of us, you probably know Dan the best,” as if everyone didn’t know that. Tommy had known Dan for a long time too, but they’d never been close, not like Dan and Alicia.

“Yeah, sure,” she said, then straight to the point, “Why?”

“Just thinking about how much I don’t know about Dan,” he said.

“Okay, weirdo, you’ve known him nearly as long as I have.”

He has and he did know Dan, to talk about music with, or politics, or sports even, but it didn’t feel like enough and he wasn’t sure how to change that.

“Just, you know, wondering,” he said, weakly, then added as an excuse, “Sarah.”

The look Alyssa was giving him softened then. 

“Yeah, you’d get that,” she said, and while Tommy could have done without the reminder of his broken engagement, at least it was an improvement on the annoyed look she’d been giving him before. “Maybe you should ask him yourself though.”

“Yeah,” Tommy said. “I’ll do that.”

He wouldn’t. Not just because they didn’t have those sorts of discussions, but because that wasn’t how he wanted Dan to think of him, a sympathetic shoulder or someone who’d been there to vent to, before getting back to dating.

No, he definitely wasn’t going to ask Dan. Time to see if Lovett knew anything.

—

“Oh, so remember the FBI file thing?” Favs said a week or so later.

“FBI file?” Tommy asked, trying to sound like he had no idea what Favs was talking about. He’d talked to Lovett, but Lovett hadn’t known anything either, and since using his clearance to get access to the file for his own personal gratification seemed more than a little morally gray, Tommy was back to trying not to obsess over Dan.

Favs tilted his head like he was trying to figure out if Tommy was for real or not, shook it, then said, “Dan’s file, the one you were wondering about? Turns out they pulled the wrong file.”

“Oh,” Tommy said. They'd pulled the wrong Dan or there was another Dan Pfeiffer out there or— but it didn’t really matter. It was fine. Everything was fine and nothing had changed anywhere except in his mind.

“Hey, wanna grab a beer after work?”

“State dinner tonight,” Tommy reminded Jon.

“Oh, yeah. After that then?”

Tommy narrowed his eyes at Jon then sighed and said, “How about Friday?”

—

Tommy saw Dan standing off to the side, phones in hand, switching back and forth between them during the post-dinner reception. He thought about leaving him be, but it wasn’t like he had any reason to avoid him. He didn’t have any reason to seek him out either, no puzzles to solve, but he wanted to and that was enough.

“Anything going on I need to know about,” he asked, tilting his head towards the phones, as he walked up to Dan.

“Nah,” Dan said without looking up. “Trying to keep busy and avoid all of this.”

Tommy nodded then said, “I can leave you in peace.”

Dan actually looked up then and really looked at Tommy. “Stay.”

Before Tommy could feel too smug about Dan not minding his company, he added, “If it looks like we’re talking, fewer people will come bother me.”

Tommy took a sip of his drink then said, “Glad I can be of service,” dryly.

“Speaking of,” Dan said and then he actually put both of the phones away which was a surefire sign that Tommy was in trouble. “I hear you saw through my cover story.”

Tommy knew talking to Lovett about his crazy theory was a mistake, but Lovett tended to have a surprising store of information— not gossip, exactly— about what was going on. Unfortunately, as Tommy had been reminded, the way he got that information was generally in trade for other information.

“Look,” Dan said, his voice gravely in a way that was starting to give Tommy the shivers. “Next time you want to know something, just ask.”

Tommy nodded in response and Dan pulled his phones back out and then they just stood there in companionable silence.

—

Tommy grabbed the empty pitcher from the table and said, “My round.”

He was on his way to the bar when he saw Dan in an alcove by the entryway. Tommy hadn't known Favs had invited Dan or he probably would have bailed. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about how he should have handled things differently since the last time they'd talked though— maybe it was time to turn those thoughts to actions. He dropped the pitcher off at the bar and took a detour— the guys could stand a break between rounds.

“Hey Dan,” Tommy said. “I heard a rumor.”

“Oh?”

“That you might like this,” he said, even though it was more wishful thinking than anything else, and then before he could lose the courage that had come from the beers he’d had before Dan had arrived, he leaned forward and kissed him.

Tommy didn’t know what he’d expected: for Dan to stay still and let him kiss him or for him to push him away. He knew he hadn’t expected Dan to push him back until he was against the wall, to take charge and make the kiss deeper until Tommy opened his mouth to him. It wasn’t a frantic kiss either, though Tommy wouldn’t have minded that, but deep and steady, until every part of him felt like Dan was in complete and total control of the situation, even if he’d been the one to initiate it, and he was surprised by just how much he liked that.

If he looked anything like he felt when Dan pulled back, he must have looked completely out of it. He let out an involuntary groan at the loss.

“Want to take this somewhere a little less crowded?” Dan asked, tilting his head towards the bar full of people they probably shouldn’t have been kissing in front of.

“Oh, sorry,” Tommy mumbled, face flushing as he realized what a dumb move it had been.

Dan put a finger under his chin and lifted it. “Don’t be sorry,” he said, looking Tommy right in the eyes. “It wasn’t a complaint. It was an offer, but it’s your call.”

“Okay, yeah, let’s,” Tommy said and followed Dan out of the bar and letting him call them a cab. He had just enough presence of mind to text Favs and offer a raincheck on the beers before they were at Dan’s place and Tommy wasn’t thinking much about anything at all.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments welcome! I'm on tumblr [here](https://tommyandthejons.tumblr.com).


End file.
